Salt and pepper shakers



H. w. ,ELLSWOOD 2,685,397

SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS Aug. 3, 1954 Filed July 29, 1950 /7 GEL INVENTOR. .i HARR Y W Hun 000 v Arm/WE) Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES PTENT 2,685,397 OFFICE SALT AND PEPPER SHAKER/S Harry W. Ellswood, Pueblo, 0010.

Application July 29, 1950, Serial No. 176,696

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a combination salt and pepper shaker, and has for its principal object the provision of small, inexpensive, disposable, salt and pepper shakers for use with box lunches, picnic lunches, and the like, which will enable the salt and the pepper shaker to be carried as a single, small, convenient unit without danger of the contents spilling in the lunch box, so arranged that they can be readily separated, used individually, and then discarded.

Another object of the invention is to provide a salt and pepper shaker construction which will enable the use of disposable paper tubes for the salt and pepper containers.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved salt and pepper shakers as they would appear assembled as a unit;

Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of the individual salt and pepper shakers, respectively, separated from the combined assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top view of one of the individual shakers;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section therethrough, taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross-section therethrough, taken on the line 6-6, Fig. 5.

The combined assembly of Fig. 1 comprises two individual shakers, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, one designed to contain salt and the other designed to contain pepper.

The salt shaker consists of a. short, relatively small diameter tube 10, preferably of pasteboard, over which a shorter outer tube [2 of larger diameter, also preferably of pasteboard, is slidably mounted. The pepper shaker is similar and consists of an inner tube H, similar to the tube I0, and a shorter outer tube I3 of larger diameter is slidably mounted thereon.

The tops of the tubes I0 and H are closed by means of inverted, cup-shaped metal caps l4 provided with perforations IS. The caps M are of a slightly larger diameter than the inner diameters of the tubes l0 and II so that when forced into place, as shown in Fig. 5, they will retain themselves by frictional engagement with the inner walls of the tubes l0 and II.

The bottoms of the tubes 10 and II are closed by means of inverted, cup-shaped bottom caps 16 which are frictionally forced into the tubes similarly to the caps 14. The bottom caps l6 are provided with flaring peripheral flanges l1 which project outwardly beyond the outer diameters of the outer tubes I2 and I3 and serve both as Stops for the outer tubes 12 and I3 and as bases for vertically supporting the shakers.

For packing in a lunch box or the like, the two upper caps M of the tubes 10 and H are placed together with the tubes in axial alignment. One of the outer tubes, either the tube l2 or the tube 13, is then slid over the upper extremity of the opposite inner tube. For instance, in Fig. 1 the outer tube 12 has been slid along the tube 10 and over the extremity of the tube It against the opposite outer tube 13. The outer tubes are sufiiciently tight to retain themselves in place and a perfect seal is provided to prevent escape of the contents.

While the improved combined salt and pepper shaker has been described as preferably formed of pasteboard, it could, of course, be formed from any other material suitable for the type of construction. Pasteboard tubes, however, are inexpensive, and lend themselves admirably for disposal with picnic lunch containers and the like.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

A container for salt and pepper comprising: two inner tubes, one adapted to contain salt and one adapted to contain pepper; a perforated cap closing one extremity of each tube; a bottom member closing the other extremity thereof, said perforated caps being positioned together with their respective tubes in alignment; a first outer tube slidably and frictionally surrounding the adjacent extremities of both tubes to maintain them together as a unit, said outer tube being shorter than either of said inner tubes; a second outer tube extending between the first outer tube and one of the said bottom members and frictionally surrounding one of said inner tubes; and a projecting flange formed on each bottom member to prevent the withdrawal of said outer tubes thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 226,502 Dunscomb Apr. 13, 1880 472,532 Farrington Apr. 12, 1892 1,146,206 Quinlan July 13, 1915 1,190,203 Sorge July 4, 1916 1,234,340 Ishikawa July 24, 1917 1,265,932 Maltby May 14, 1918 1,558,396 Roehrs Oct. 20, 1925 1,750,074 Warner Mar. 11, 1930 2,481,814 Brecker Sept. 13, 1949 2,483,148 Nicolle Sept. 27, 1949 2,569,035 Belsinger Sept. 25, 1951 

